Surinamers may be hospitable, but they are annoyed if visitors violate unwritten rules of etiquette. In daily life the following rules apply:
Dress code: lightweight and casual, but elegant. In the city ‘cover up’,
even when you go shopping. For business appointments dress conservatively.
Men should wear lightweight trousers, leather shoes and a shirt and tie.
Short-sleeved buttoned shirts, that are neatly pressed, are generally
accepted. Keep swimwear for the pools; do not walk around in bathing suits
in the hotel lobbies.
At home Surinamers wear informal ‘house-clothes’ and slippers. In the
interior and relaxing resorts, informal vacation wear is always the right
choice. When you visit people at their homes, take off your shoes and
leave them outside on the porch.
Be discrete. Questions about private life can easily be interpreted as
nosiness and will make people shut up. They will tell what they wish to
when they want to.
When you see an acquaintance dance intimately with a woman, who is not
necessarily his wife, don’t bring it up. Sometimes, married men step out
with a buitenvrouw (mistress) whom they introduce to others as
‘my cousin from the district.’
Decline from discussing politics, especially when it concerns the situation
in Suriname.
You will soon realize that people arrive late for an appointment or don’t
come at all. There are dozens of reasons for this, from the lack of taxis
to complicated family situations, or the unexpected arrival of a friend.
There are often no telephones in many areas, and they may not be able
to notify you.
In the business world a firm appointment is an obligation.
Intimate behavior in public makes others feel uncomfortable (although
at dance parties there’s a lot of that going on). You do your romancing
at home - out of the public eye. However, when greeting good friends you
do exchange a hug (brasa) or kisses.
Open expressions of homosexuality are taboo, especially for men. There
is a small gay community in Paramaribo, which occasionally has scheduled
parties and meetings. There is less reaction about gay women. Matis,
intimate female friends, are an old and accepted practice among the Afro-Surinamers.
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